Eradicating the term ”Inclusive design”

Lack of inclusivity in day to day products and services

Introduction

Inclusivity has always been seen as an option while designing new products and services which I feel is something which should come naturally in the design process while designing products and services. I know there are many write ups on how inclusivity is important while designing products and services but no one is talking about how market leaders can innately implement inclusivity till this term ceases to exist and people stop talking about it.

I had worked on a project called bridge-which aimed on reducing the gap between visually impaired and sighted users. While doing the research of the project I realized two aspects about inclusivity. One that all the products and services designed are aimed at disabilities which is good but it does not make them feel as the part of the society. Second the implementation of these products and services lack the sense of inclusivity and most of the concepts do not reach the manufacturing stage and finally to the end customer.

After understanding the users in a much better way I realized that inclusivity can be faded by  building products and services which bridge the gaps till a point which these products and services merge in mainstream design where terms like inclusivity will cease to exist in the future.

In this article we will discuss both the aspects in detail and the aim is to explore reasons why there is still a need to evoke the design community to fade this gap away of products and services only catering to inclusivity which should be something unsaid and innate in terms of design process.

Inclusivity can be seen in terms of age, sex, culture, religion and disabilities. But most of my emphasis is on differently abled.

Products and Services only targeting to a special group of disabilities or only for disabilities:-

Most of the tangible experiences, entertainment and products cater directly to the disability community making them look powerless and dependent on the product rather than making them feel independent with it. To understand this concept let’s take an example of a chess board which is only designed for the visually impaired or any household cutlery for a person with Parkinson’s disease. Both these products or solutions cater to disability directly which is great but these products can also be designed in a way that the features are already inclusive in the mainstream design and development process and there is no need of specifically designing for inclusivity.

The design of products and services should be so inclusive that there should be no specific mention of a particular feature saying that this particular handle is ergonomic enough "which makes the design inclusive".

There is enough contribution from the marketing teams to use the terminology of "Inclusivity" very loosely in advertisement campaigns which creates an aspirational value for people with disability to buy this product and service which make them pay for it for any value. It is a kind of "niche" for products related to inclusivity and disability.

The reasons for lack of implementation:-

Limited Market Understanding: Many designers and developers lack a deep understanding of the diverse needs and preferences of people with disabilities. As a result, the concepts may not fully address the real challenges faced by the target users.

Cost Considerations: Developing products that cater to the needs of people with disabilities often requires additional research, design, and manufacturing considerations. Companies may perceive these additional costs as prohibitive, especially if they believe the market for such products is limited.

Regulatory Compliance: Products designed for people with disabilities may need to meet specific regulatory standards to ensure safety, accessibility, and usability. Navigating these regulations can be complex and time-consuming, which may deter companies from pursuing such products.

Lack of Representation: People with disabilities are often underrepresented in the design and development processes of products. Without input from the intended users, concepts may overlook crucial features or fail to resonate with the target audience.

Stigma and Bias: There may be underlying stigma or bias towards disability within society, which can influence decision-makers' perceptions of the market potential for disability-related products. This bias may lead to a lack of investment or interest in pursuing such products.

Product usability

Conclusion:-

Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort from designers, developers, policymakers, and stakeholders to prioritize inclusivity, invest in research and development, involve users with disabilities in the design process, and create supportive regulatory frameworks. By doing so, more innovative and inclusive products can move from concept to reality, ultimately benefiting people with disabilities and society as a whole.

Designing with disabilities just for disabilities is not enough. To actually reach the implementation is the biggest challenge to be catered to do actually reduce the challenges faced by them in the real world. The truth about the implementation of these products and services keeping the inclusivity in mind is a challenge because most of the concepts get skewed due to lack of profitability and the only thing an organization is proud of is that they are inclusive on paper .The brand and reputation is created as “inclusive “ but in reality the products focus mostly on the masses adding some basic features which the inclusive community can hardly or not at all benefit from.

To conclude the article I would like to say that inclusivity should be innate of the design process which clearly is not which leads to a discussion of topics such as inclusivity. The aim of market leaders, designers, developers, policymakers, and stakeholders should be to be inclusive from the start by building products and services which innately have features regarding inclusivity rather that just catering to their specific needs. However it does not mean that designing only for inclusivity is not necessary and important but looking at the holistic view in inclusivity and understanding the real meaning of “inclusivity” is important. To self reflect on the this term is very crucial as designers to have a better future while building products and services for the betterment of the society.